


Saving Cecil, Hunting Things

by MaddeningNoise



Series: Welcome to Night Vale, Winchesters [2]
Category: Supernatural, Welcome to Night Vale, wtnv
Genre: Fluffy Couples, M/M, Read that one first, Short Chapters, WTNV/SPN, established relationships - Freeform, minor/original character death probably, sequel to another of my fics, welcome to night vale/supernatural crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-07-23 19:57:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 10,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7477815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddeningNoise/pseuds/MaddeningNoise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Its been a year since the demonic possession of the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home and the winchesters left night vale. But now, something dark and dangerous is after Cecil, and Carlos has called in the Winchesters and Castiel to solve the problem. This may run deeper than a spirit to be vanquished.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Return

**Author's Note:**

> It's good to be restarting this. I know I said nothing would be up until Saturday, but I got a spare moment and a dash of inspiration so here we are. Comments and kudos are very appreciated.

It was early in the morning when Dean got the call, and the last thing he wanted to do was leave the bed he and Cas were tangled in. Though Cas lacked the need to sleep, cuddling through the night remained a favorite pastime of his. As a plus, Dean found he slept better and suffered from far fewer horrifying memories turned nightmares when he was in Cas' arms. He hadn't woken up in a cold sweat after horrifying memories of hell since he and Cas had taken up these sleeping arrangements

But now his phone was buzzing and ringing insistently on his night stand interrupting one of the peaceful moments he got.

"you should go get that." Cas murmured, equally unwilling to leave their comfortable position.

"no." Dean muttered in response, nuzzling into Cas' neck, still half asleep.

Cas chuckled and kissed Dean's forehead lightly. "if you don't get it I will."

"no." Dean muttered again, tangling his legs and arms more in an effort to stop Cas from leaving.

The phone stopped ringing and they stayed there for another moment before it started up again. This time he had to get it, Dean knew. One call might be a social call from one of their few remaining living friends. Two calls was a supernatural occurrence to take care of, or worse yet, someone in danger.

Dean kissed Cas' lips briefly before rolling out of beaded grabbing the phone, glancing at the caller ID before clicking the talk button.

"What's up, Carlos?" He asked, turning to face Cas as the angel raised his eyebrows.

"Dean." Carlos sounded anxious. "I don't know what it is, there's no scientific explanation for it, I've run tests but it's gotten too dangerous in there, and I think whatever it is might be following us..."

"spit it out, Bill Nye." Dean said.

"There's something haunting the radio station in Night Vale." Carlos said after a moment. "And whatever it is, it's after Cecil."

"We'll be there as soon as we can." Dean said, hanging up and making his way to Sam's room, swinging the door open and ripping his brothers sheets off.

Get up, Sammy." He demanded as Sam sat up tiredly in bed. "We're headed back to night vale.


	2. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. more updates than planned are coming this week. I'm kinda trying to squeeze a fair amount in before I return to Camp and become unable to update. Hopefully the rush won't damage the quality. 
> 
> (Small change made in the last chapter: instead of "thirty minutes", Dean said they'd be there "as soon as possible".)

Night was falling by the time Cecil's show began overpowering the static that had previously buzzed unendingly on channel 615.12. Sam was out cold in the passenger seat while Cas sat pensively in the back seat.

"One way to test if someone is probably dead is to think about when that person was born. Was it 400 years ago? They're probably dead...Welcome to Night Vale." Cecil began, eliciting a giggle from the ancient angel in the back seat.

They passed a purple sign announcing that they were in the city limits of night vale, population ever-changing, as Cecil continued with his broadcast.

"Listeners, this is the second night I've broadcasted from my own apartment after the evacuation of the radio station became necessary. The radio station has been suffering a sort of haunting for months now, but nothing worse than the hauntings your average Starbucks deals with on a daily basis...until recently. Before it was mostly knocking stuff over, de-alphebatizing the station, interfering with the radio signal, or mixing my coffee with various dangerous chemicals. But now whatever it is has killed several interns, left blood messages on the walls, and ripped some of Carlos' beautiful hair out when he came to drop off some coffee. Station management disappeared to some safer unknown location several days before I made my exit, but was kind enough to remove the immovable family of cats we have floating in the mens restroom."

Cecil took a deep, emotional breath before continuing.

"Unfortunately this was not done before one of the kittens was visiously slaughtered. To the owner of the black and purple kitten with six poisonous quills, please pick up its body for proper burial and mourning at your nearest convenience."

"And now, a look at traffic. A black 1967 chevy impala is approaching my apartment building. There is a toy soldier from a deceased childhood of years past stuck in the passenger side ashtray. When the heat is turned on in this impala to protect from the cold emptiness that often invades the owners' very souls, ghostly rattling comes from the legos that were shoved into the vents by another deceased childhood. The pains of the past lingers around this car. The warmth and comfort of the future also lingers around this car. This car is transport. This car is home... This has been traffic."

Dean shivered and pulled into the nearest parking spot in Cecil's apartment complex lot, clicking the radio off just as Cecil announced that he was about to be visited, let's go to the weather.

Carlos met them halfway up the stairs. "Cecil doesn't know you're here about the hauntings. We discussed calling you, but Cecil said he could handle it and got sort of annoyed when I..."

"Here on a social call, just passing through, got it." Sam extrapolated.

Carlos sighed in relief as they turned a corner on the stairs. "yeah, that'd be great."

"what'd be great, babe?" Cecil was standing on the landing above them, clearly having overheard the entire conversation. His arms were crossed, purple tattoos squirming on his arms in agitation.

Carlos went bright pink.

Dean grabbed Cas' arm and turned around to go back down the stairs. "right, we'll just go reacquaint ourselves with the area...good to see you Cecil, have fun working this out."

Sam's outstretched arm halted him. Dean sighed as Cecil lead them into the apartment at an irritated, fast strut, Carlos close behind.

"we have until the end of the weather to work this out." Cecil stated, sitting back into his purple swiveling chair at the makeshift radio booth on their kitchen counter. "then i've got to go back on the air."

"Cecil, I really do think they could help." Carlos rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Cecil sighed. "I don't disagree. But with the danger that any outsiders are in at the moment, I'd rather they not be here for their own sakes."

"But you're in danger too." Carlos stated. "and honestly, Cecil, no one's safe here until you are. Your broadcasts keep everyone safe here, and if you aren't safe, no one can be."

Cecil glowed a little. Or rather, his tattoos did. He whipped around in his chair as the weather came to a close.

"we'll investigate the station tonight."

Carlos let loose a sigh of relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Idk how I feel about my portrayal of Cecil and his broadcast in this chapter. Next chapter is "investigation".


	3. Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written while listening to Twenty One Pilots and trying to figure out where the hell to take this story next.

It was late at night and already dark when they finally left Cecil and Carlos' apartment, partially due to the endless bickering on whether or not Carlos was coming with them.

"babe, no." Cecil argued.

"babe, yes." Carlos responded, half angry, half desperate.

Dean and Sam chose to ignore them for the moment, shoving salt, holy water, lighters, gasoline and extra rounds into their back packs. It had quickly been decided that Cecil needed to come along, despite Carlos' protests that it could be dangerous for Cecil, as he was generally the target of the activities. As much as Sam and Dean refused to admit it, this was precisely why they were taking Cecil along. But bringing Carlos along would provide an extra target for the hauntings and would put more people in danger than strictly necessary.

"look, Carlos." Sam started, zipping up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "It really would be best for you to stay here. The more eyes we have to keep on you two, the fewer we have for the actual problem."

Carlos opened his mouth to protest, but Cecil caught his hand.

"Carlos, look at me." Cecil said quietly, his purple tattoos slithering off his arms and wrapping gently around Carlos' hands and fingertips. "I'll be back, and I'll be okay. I promise...A radio host is always fine."

He kissed Carlos' forehead before turning to leave, tattoos slipping off Carlos' hands and back to Cecil.

"keep an eye on the floating felines." Dean said, jerking his head towards the cats floating over the couch. "We'll be back soon."

 

The radio station was completely deserted when they arrived, the building eerily dark and silent. Cecil turned and looked up at the lights floating over the Arby's before following the rest of the inside. Dean and Sam had their guns drawn, and flashlights on. Cecil let out a small sob at the sight of the dead kitten still resting on the floor, running to pick it up and cradle its small body in his hands.

Sam and Dean lifted their flashlights to the wall, where the words "time and time again" were written in dripping, dry kitten blood.

Cecil cringed at the sight, holding the kitten's body slightly closer.

"any idea what it means?' Sam asked, turning to Cecil. The radio host shook his head.

A sudden click of a lock engaging echoed through the silent building. Dean swore and ran for the door, shaking it to discover it was completely locked and returning to the group.

They silently let the fact that they were locked in, and the implications of it sink in.

Cas stared at the wall for a moment before turning his flashlight to the floor, where blood droplets led down the hall to a door at the very end.

They followed it silently, passing Cecil's windowed recording studio. It was a total wreck. Equipment was smashed on the floor, papers lay scattered, coffee spilled on them from a broken mug. One of the windows was smashed, a small cactus was upturned, and more blood spattered the walls.

A sudden high pitched, unending scream echoed through the halls, and Sam turned just in time to see a ghostly figure rushing at them from the end of the hall.

"Get down!" He yelled, diving toward Cecil to knock him over. The spirit dove into the vent at the end of the hall and the screaming ceased.

The four of them rushed into the hall, shining their flashlights around. Dean swore, and opened the door, labeled "intern break room" at the end of the hall to lead them into a largely untouched room.

"You've definitely got some sort of spirit." Dean told Cecil, sticking his arm into his bag to retrieve the salt and spreading it around the openings in the room.

"what can you do?" Cecil asked, depositing the kitten into a paper bowl.

"if we can figure out whose spirit it is and what it's attached to in this world, we can salt and burn the thing." Sam stated, pulling out his own box of salt and pouring a circle of it around Cecil.

Dean nodded to the salt and Cecil's confused face. "That's to protect you. Spirits can't cross salt lines or circles, so long as the circle remains complete and you," he jabbed his flashlight in Cecil's direction. "stay inside it."

Cecil nodded silently.

"we'll be back soon." Sam said. "we have to gather more information about it before we can do anything."

Cecil nodded again, hands gripping the kitten's bowl as the trio left the room. He was hardly a stranger to the supernatural. He had dealt with it so much that anything other that the supernatural in his every day life seemed odd, or even wrong. But this? This malevolence controlled by no vague yet menacing government agency or dangerous corporation was after him specifically. It had no greater intent than destroying him, and it was incredibly powerful.

The pile of purple intern shirts tipped over in the corner, causing Cecil to jump in surprise and whip around. To the side that was now his back, the window whipped open and the curtains shook in a heavy wind that had not been present moments before. It whipped away the salt circle around him, and Cecil set the kitten aside, intent on finding a way to fight it. His sleeve ripped off from his right shoulder, seemingly of its own accord, and his skin was ripped deep open on his arm as words were etched into his skin.

"Too Many Deaths"

They read.

Cecil had barely processed the words, or the sight of the winchester brothers and the not-angel returning to the room in a panic, when a heavy frying pan flew his way and hit him squarely in the head. And Cecil accepted the darkness willingly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm so sorry this took so long. Camp has shit Wifi and I literally got back two days ago.
> 
> On the upside, my time away from this completely cured my writer's block, so thats a plus. 
> 
> This is a short chapter, but its really just to move things along.

The first thing Cecil was aware of when he came to was a set of familiar calloused, chemical worn fingers running through his hair. Carlos muttered inaudibly in a worried tone from somewhere that seemed distant, his words distorted by a haze of semiconsciousness.

This was a position they spent a lot of time in, Cecil reflected, granted in the reverse of where they were now. The pair would settle down for a movie night on their old couch, Carlos laying across the couch with his head on Cecil's lap or on his shoulder. Cecil would run his hands soothingly through Carlos' dark, beautiful hair and gently untangle any small tangles created by the day's work. They would fall asleep there, sometimes dozing through the entire night to be awoken by the screaming sunrise in the early hours of the morning. 

"Oh, Ceec." Carlos' voice came through more clearly now, and Cecil found his previously heavy eyelids could now open, revealing bright lights and a worried looking Carlos.

He sat up slowly, blinking in the lights. "what happened?' 

"the spirit knocked you out." Sam stated. "We had to carry you out." 

Dean looked grim. "It gave you a pretty nasty wound, but Cas used his angel-"

"theres no such thing as angels." Cecil interrupted.

"...His angel mojo to heal it up enough we could read the words and take a picture for evidence before healing it the rest of the way." Dean finished irritably. 

"and I assure you, Angels are quite real." Cas added. 

"no point, Cas." Dean muttered.

"so whats next?" Cecil asked. 

"Well first," Sam said. "We're all getting some sleep."


	5. Arguments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm back at school, but found a spare moment the day before classes started back up to update, so here I am. 
> 
> This chapter contains language, swearing, etc. I'm making this PG 13 I suppose. Idk how I feel about characterization in this chapter either.

The next day found Dean, Sam, Cas, Cecil, and Carlos hunched over their small amount of evidence and old books at Higher Grounds Coffee Shop. Cecil had taken the day off, which was mostly possible because of Station Management's disappearance.

There was very little evidence so far, all things considered. Cecil's accounts told them little, and most were from the days far previous to the evacuation. Really, all they had were the photos taken of the wall and Cecil's wound, and the events the four of them had experienced the previous night.

"so you have no idea who could have it out for you?" Sam asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"no." Cecil sighed. "I mean I do, I just can't narrow it down that far."

"Time and time again and too many deaths..." Dean muttered. "the hell does that mean?"

Cecil shrugged. "people die all the time, maybe the ghost is pissed about the inevitability of our destiny in the universe."

"Your drinks..." a girl said cheerfully, approaching their table, passing each drink out one by one until she reached Cecil, when she paused and looked up into his face.

"Maureen!" Cecil said, a little too cheerfully. "working here now?"

Maureen sneered. "Of course I am, asshole. I couldn't get my fucking degree without that letter of internship completion from you."

Cecil looked taken aback. "To be completely fair, you didn't actually complete the internship."

"right, because I got erased from reality by a glass of fucking orange juice!" Maureen said angrily. "and what did you do? you shrugged your fucking shoulders and unceremoniously announced my death for my family to hear over the fucking radio."

Dean and Sam gaped at the pair. Carlos grabbed Cecil's arm. "Leave it, Ceec."

"what was I supposed to do?!" Cecil exclaimed. "I could hardly take a sip and follow after you!"

"right, cause god forbid precious radio destined Cecil get hurt." Maureen snarled. "Cecil made it through the fucking internship, how hard can it be? Just send us to the most dangerous places in town, knowing the death count, I'm sure it'll be fine!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Cecil stated, voice trembling ever so slightly.

Maureen opened her mouth to respond, but Carlos interrupted. "Babe, lets get out of here."

The pair exited, Cecil's entire body far too still for the display of emotion that had taken place.

"working on saving Cecil's job?" Maureen hissed, glancing at the trio remaining at the table.

"yes." Dean said, still sorting through his own thoughts on what had just happened.

Maureen turned to go, muttering something about going back to work. Sam spoke up.

"Could you see if these mean anything to you? A different perspective might be helpful." Sam said carefully.

Maureen set down her tray and picked up the evidence, sorting through it slowly.

"I don't know if I can tell you EXACTLY who it is..." She said slowly. "But I think I can narrow it down somewhat."

There was a moment of silence at the table.

Sam broke it. "so...what've you got?"

Maureen opened her mouth, paused, and tried again. "I think...Cecil needs to figure this out for himself."

The girl stalked off, and Carlos and Cecil reentered, Cecil looking somewhat calmer. 

Dean didn't waste a second. "Maureen says she can narrow it down somewhat, but that she wants you to figure it out. Before the hauntings, were there any...deaths the were occurring regularly around you or the station? Any reasons someone might want to take revenge at all?" 

The table was spdead silent for what felt like a long time, Cecil finally spoke. 

"Interns. Almost all of them, almost every, single one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they finally got to it. Now to narrow down which one. Did anyone beat them to it? It seemed pretty obvious to me before, but it also may have been author's perspective. Let me know in the comments if you want!


	6. Retrieval

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is finally here. I wanted to write and here we are. Also, theres a small reference to a student thesis film in here. Let me know if you catch it in the comments. Enjoy!

It was a few days before they did anything at all about the revelation. In those days, all was quiet and almost normal for Night Vale. Cecil woke up with the screeching sunrise and opened his show for the day from his kitchen. Carlos kissed him briefly before leaving for his lab. 

That night found Cas, Sam, and Dean staring at the radio station door apprehensively, having returned to retrieve the intern files. 

"they'll be in management's office." Cecil stated. "I wouldn't normally advise going in there but I think Management would agree with me on this one...or not, they're very temperamental. You need to retrieve all of the files from this date onwards." 

At this he handed them a slip of paper with a long ago date written on it. 

"won't it be from some time when you were running the show?" Sam had asked weakly. 

"hm?" Cecil raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I was. That was my first day." 

Carlos had stepped in at this point. "time doesn't work in night vale. Cecil's been around a lot longer than the rest of us. He'll be here a lot longer too."

"But...you?" was all dean could manage to say. 

Carlos smiled sadly. "We don't know yet. Living in Night Vale might be enough, but It's possible that since I'm from the outside world..."

Cas swallowed. It was hard to imagine a Cecil without a Carlos. It was also a reality he would probably have to live in for himself and Dean. 

And so they left, entering the station to retrieve the files at dusk. Managements office wasn't hard to find or to break into. Dean smashed the frosted glass and unlocked the door from the inside. Management's office was largely untouched, aside from the large amounts of goop that management left in its tracks where ever it went. File cabinets lined the room from floor to ceiling, each cabinet drawer marked by year. Sam quickly found the earliest one and pulled it open with a quick movement. 

One might expect a file cabinet drawer to have an end point at which the drawer cannot extend any farther. For these drawers, this was not the case. It extended past the point the wall across from it should have allowed it to go, going straight through the wall. They weren't quite infinite, but may have well been so. 

With about ten of these filing cabinets marked after the appropriate date, Dean, Sam and Cas made several trips with an armload of files, first filling the trunk to the point that it was difficult to close the door, then most of the back seat and under the the seats and foot spaces in the front. 

Sam made the last trip to discover his brother staring at the piles of files, an unreadable expression on his face. 

"you okay?" Sam asked in concern.

Dean was silent for a minute. "Each of these files is a person."

"Yes." Sam said, unable to think of much else. 

"A dead person." Dean continued. "Because of Cecil." 

"Thats not true." Sam argued. "Cecil didn't kill any of these people. The dangers of Night Vale did."

Dean sighed. "At best it's a disgusting amount of negligence, Sammy. At worst it's malevolence. He allows it, doesn't try to stop it. You heard maureen the other day, he even encourages them to go places he knows they'll be in danger and doesn't do anything about it. He just announces it on the air!"

Sam was silent for a moment. "He's only doing what he thinks he has to." 

Dean sighed. "Yeah. So was dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dramaaaaaaaa


	7. Narrow it down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written while listening to Lindsey Stirling's new album, Brave Enough. 
> 
> So a few of my friends and favorite fictional characters got a bit of a very small cameo in this chapter. Shouldn't be hard to guess where. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

There were thousands.

They had run into Carlos as he returned from his lab when they had returned from retrieving the files. His eyes had widened when they'd popped the trunk and files poured out, wordlessly helping them make the many trips up the stairs. Cecil had joined them when the four of them had carried piles higher than their heads in, quickly signing off of his show with his traditional "Good Night, Night Vale."

Together, they carried the files up, careful to keep them organized by year and stacking them around Cecil's radio equipment in the kitchen before allowing them to overflow into the living room. Cecil put himself through extra tall loads of files, his eyes growing more distant with each load he took up the seven flights. This didn't escape anyone's notice.

They finished at nine the next morning, working long through the night without rest. The five collapsed on the couches and chairs in the living room, staring around at the piles. There was silence for a moment.

"Are any of these still alive?" Sam asked finally, voicing the question no one wanted to.

"Four." Cecil said finally. "Intern Dana Cardinal, Intern Maureen Johnson, Intern Chad Bowinger, and...me."

They began sorting through the years the interns had been employed in. Carlos and Cecil turned to the earliest year, grabbing the bottom one in the pile from under the many following it.

Cecil moved to put his own file on the coffee table, but Carlos gently removed it from Cecil's hands, looking at Cecil for a small nod before flipping it open.

A boy of fifteen looked back from a faded photograph, markings a shade of subtle lilac instead of their current vibrant violet. His purple eyes, which eerily matched his intern shirt, were shining with excitement and joy. He was considerably smaller. His third eye tattoo was notably closed.

Carlos continued reading the file while Cecil turned to help the others find Maureen, Chad, and Dana.

Name: Cecil Gershwin Palmer  
Age: 15  
Contract Time: Until Death or end of agreement  
Status: Alive  
Cause of death: none  
Location of Death: none  
Internship complete? Yes  
Reason for end of internship: took position of radio host at Night Vale as of DATE UNMENTIONABLE at Leonard Burton's death.

Carlos shut the file and looked up at his boyfriend, who had just retrieved the final file and set it with the rest on the coffee table. The five of them stared at the small pile. Carlos silently picked up them up and set the documents in an unused drawer before returning to the group.

Sam rubbed his hands together. "So. According to what we know about vengeful spirits, they take a couple months to go from melancholy to angry, so we can rule out anyone who died within the last few months or the first few years preceding Cecil taking the position."

This rules out about one hundred. They begin sorting, checking the cause of death and location before anything else. Anyone sucked into alternate realities are quickly ruled out, and after some consideration, anyone now living in a different form from their original one is added to that pile.

Cecil's hands tremble slightly, but he tries to hide it as he sorts through the files. Samm, Jack, Mina, Caitlin, Diana, Will, Sammi, Harry, John, Amelia, Bill, Mike, Nancy, Mason, Mabel...the list goes on and on. Ruled out ones to his left, possible ones to his right. The 'possible' pile grows steadily larger while he only occasionally adds to the pile on his left.

Dead. They're all dead, or at least gone in some form. He hides it well on the air, but each death aches with a deeper pain than the last.

He draws a deep, shuddering death when he passes a boy of thirteen, catching Carlos' attention. The scientist looks up, and immediately abandons his pile.

"Come here, Ceec." Carlos opens his arms, and Cecil falls willingly in, tears coming quickly in deep, shuddering sobs. Silence fills the room as work stops.

Carlos holds him tightly as Cecil cries, whispering words of comfort into his temple. It's only when he feels a hand on his shoulder that he lifts hid head from Carlos' now tear stained shoulder and turns to find Dean standing there, biting his lip.

"Sometimes..." the demon hunter says carefully. "You can't save them all. And sometimes that scale tips because life has it out for certain people. None of them were your fault."

Cecil's sobs grow harder, and he turns his hug to Dean, who stands there awkwardly before patting the Radio Host's back.

When Cecil's tears have subsided, They return to work, sorting for the rest of the day and gladly passing out late that night in their rooms.


	8. Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone. I'm back. Major writer's block and busy college stuff happened, but my roomie is feeling inspired and it seems to be contagious, so here I am.

They worked like that late into the night, going over each file, slowly skimming the lives of each intern, hoping dots would connect. Intern after dead intern in each file, Cecil felt his heart grow heavy in his chest.

Dean eventually passed out on Cas' shoulder, and Cas dropped the file shortly after and carried him to bed. Sam followed suit hours later, passing out with his head on the kitchen table.

Carlos yawned, stretched, and glanced around at the sleeping trio. "Babe, I hate to say this, but I'm going to bed. You should too."

Cecil shook his head silently, eyes fixed on Intern Vithaya's file as they had been for the last twenty minutes.

Carlos sighed and dropped back down to the floor next to Cecil. "Love, look at me."

Cecil continued to stare at the file, reading the same sentence over again: "ascended to heaven, family notified via radio announcement." Finally, he tore his eyes away from the page to meet his boyfriend's eyes through the dark.

"Ceec." the scientist began. He stopped, chewing his lip helplessly. "There was nothing you could have done to help any of them. You're a good person who's made mistakes. That's only human. Scientifically speaking, it's impossible to not make mistakes sometimes."

Cecil sniffed. "Even mistakes that result in the harm of others, INNOCENT others, over and over again?"

"Well..." Carlos rubbed the back of his neck. "Some mistakes are worse than others Cecil. Some people live in places or in certain circumstances where those worse mistakes a more likely to happen. We've both nearly died at least seventy times in the last month. Night Vale makes people danger-prone. It's unpredictable and unpleasant and terrifying, but it's also beautiful and incredible and scientifically fascinating, and somehow it all balances out in the end."

Cecil stared at Carlos, quietly chewing his lip before lunging forward to throw his arms around Carlos and bury his face in his shoulder.

"I love you so much, Carlos." Cecil murmured, his words muffled by Carlos' lab coat.

"I love you too, Cecil." Carlos hugged him back and stroked his hair, pressing a kiss into Cecil's temple. "Let's go to bed."

He picked Cecil up with one arm behind his neck and another under his knees, and Cecil kept his arms wrapped around Carlos' neck for support. The scientist glanced around at the angel and winchesters before deciding not to wake them and carrying his boyfriend off to their bedroom.

Carlos fell asleep quickly once they were both settled. The same could not be said for Cecil. He stared at the ceiling late into the night, tattoos twitching and pacing across his arms and back. Around the time the walls typically started to ooze blue, as he was finally drifting off, he noticed red fireflies dancing mesmerizingly outside the window. They glowed gently and enticingly, but Cecil's limbs and eyelids felt heavy, and sleep won out.


	9. Taunting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I believe the last chapter was posted before the election results came in, and since i'm still feeling overwhelmed, maybe you are too. If you're not feeling great about the results, Cecil has some words for you in this chapter, the last line of which are not meant to be taken seriously. You can make a difference. Vote, protest, send letters, and make calls, make your voice heard. You are loved. Be safe and surround yourself by positivity where ever possible.

Work resumed from the moment they woke up the next morning. Sam made scrambled eggs and toast before the rest were even up, and it was the enticing smell that drew Cecil out of bed to find the others hard at work on the files. The pile of ruled out ones was still significantly smaller than the ones they had deemed possible through their faulty process of elimination. The process may have been inexact and would take a while, but until new evidence arose, it was all they had. 

Carlos kissed him on the forehead and sent him to sit down as Sam served their breakfast onto plates. Carlos grabbed two plates and a stack of files and joined Cecil on the couch, handing him a file. 

"What time do you have to be on the air?" he asked. 

Cecil had, for the first time in his life, forgotten that he had work. He checked his watch. "I have an hour."

Carlos nodded and silently went to clear the files stacked around Cecil's radio equipment. Cecil smiled appreciatively and turned to his file. 

He only got through eight in that hour, distracted as he was with everything going on around him. At the end of the hour, the winchesters cleared the room with arm loads of files and moved to the guest room, and Carlos left for work. 

"There's a monster at the end of this book." He began. "It's the blank page where the story ends and you are left alone with yourself and your thoughts. Welcome to Night Vale." 

He started the opening music and sat back in his chair, surveying the piles of dead interns laid out in his living room. The music ended. He took at deep breath. "Listeners...have you ever felt regret? Have you ever known that your actions were inexcusable and unfixable and had nothing you could do or say to make things right? So today...I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "now for the news. According to outside sources, our nation has a new president, and it's not who you expected. As a long and tense election season comes to a close, which we in night vale had no knowledge of, you are reminded to take a deep breath, smile, hug a loved one, and not hide under your covers for the next four to eight years. All will be fine. Not all will be lost. Even in the face of something as overwhelming and unthinkable as this, you will survive. Also, since our president is chosen by a pit of despair and lost dreams whose location remains unknown, It's not as though you could have made a difference. In more local news..." 

He continued on, telling of the recent sink hole in the center of town that led to a purple mist followed by nothingness, "Avoid main street, everyone", and that it was tornado awareness week, "beware of tornadoes folks. They're out there, but we've never been hit by one, so it's probably not so bad". "Also", he told the listeners, "it's deadly poison week at the Night Vale Museum of Forbidden Technologies. Take your loved ones and have a sample. One of every five samples will kill you within the hour. This exhibit has been made mandatory by the City Council." 

The day continued that way, Cecil's voice drifting through topics and studying the town's happenings through his clairvoyant third eye. (That sink hole is getting bigger, you should probably skip that trip to the bank...oh there it goes! Anyone looking to start a bank? Nows a good time!) He sent the station to the weather with a click several hours later, breaking for lunch and sorting through files with the remaining hour. Chad, Leland, Stacey, Dana or her double...the names continued, growing more and more familiar, faces becoming more and more clear in his mind's eye. 

He continued the show after the hour of uninterrupted weather was over, moving on to an editorial that he read a quarter of the way through before angrily flipping to the back and realizing it was from Steve Carlsberg. (Of course the Mandela Effect is the result of alternate universes connected to ours by a rip in space time, Steve! Everyone knows that! The rip can be found in the car lot and it's not that special, stop, Steve!) 

The rest of the day was uninterrupted. Carlos returned from the lab and grabbed a small pile of files to join the winchesters in the guest bedroom. He came back out a while later in the middle of the children's fun fact science corner and glanced blankly around the room. Cecil waved cheerily while explaining how to collect a sample of lava, but he didn't even move in response. Instead, he turned away, eyes focused on the balcony on the opposite side of the room. He began walking slowly toward it. 

Cecil's eyes went wide, knowing that something was very wrong. "You may want to ask for HELP with this part." He said loudly, trying to catch Cas, Sam, and Dean's attention without breaking from the show. "It'd REALLY be best if you had HELP with this part" 

His cries for help went unnoticed from the other room. It was then that he noticed the red lights he had seen the previous night floating tantalizingly just beyond the railing of their balcony. He hurriedly wrapped up the segment as Carlos opened the door and leaned over the edge reaching for the red lights. They moved beyond his reach, and Carlos still leaned farther. Cecil's third eye vision switched involuntarily to the front of what was occurring on his balcony, noticing immediately the Carlos' eyes were not his own beautiful chocolate brown, but instead red. 

"weather!" Cecil yelped. bolting from his chair as Carlos reached still farther. 

As he sprinted across the room, several things seemed to happen at once. He realized he was too far away, and Carlos was too far over the edge for him to make it in time. He screamed Carlos' name just as the scientist toppled over the edge, and the red lights vanished with a flicker. As he reached the railing, expecting to see his boyfriend dead on the pavement below, a bright light filled the surrounding area below, and the winchesters sprinted to join him at the railing. As the light faded, Cas appeared below, gripping Carlos as his wings disappeared. 

Cecil collapsed in relief. Cas disappeared from sight below and deposited a bleary eyes Carlos on the couch moments later. Cecil regained the use of his legs long enough to sit by Carlos and stroke his hair as he cried in relief. 

"Ceec, babe." Carlos murmured, eyes distant in shock. "I am so, so sorry." 

Dean approached Cas, pulling him in by the tie. "That." He muttered, face inches from Cas'. "Was hot." The pair kissed in a way that suggested there was more coming and that they would be doing a fair amount of laundry in the morning. 

Sam laughed uncomfortably and left the couples to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was okay. Leave kudos and a comment if you want.


	10. Salt and Burn?

The next morning found Cecil taking another vacation day to help out with the seemingly endless pile of files. They searched for hours, pacing and changing positions every so often. Carlos was out cold on Cecil's shoulder. 

"OH!" Sam exclaimed loudly, fumbling with the file he had been sorting through. "OH!"

Carlos started awake, knocking all the files balanced on his lap over. He straightened his glasses and joined the rest looking over Sam's shoulder to the file in Sam's hands. 

A picture of a boy with dark curly hair and pierced ears stared back from the page, grinning widely in a purple intern shirt. The bold font beside the photo reads "Intern Leland".

"How do we know it's him?" Dean said doubtfully.

Cecil grabbed the file, staring at the boy in the picture. The dates of the internship were blacked out, as all internship times were, but below his age at the time of his death (19) and a review of his work with NVCR was the cause of death, which could leave little doubt. 

"Vaporized by floating red lights at the station's front door upon his arrival for work on the morning of..." Cecil trailed off with the blacked out date of Leland's death. "Family notified via Radio address." 

Silence filled the room. 

"Great!" Dean said, already pacing towards the front door, grabbing his keys and pulling on his jacket. "We just gotta salt and burn his body and we'll be good." 

Sam, Cas, Carlos, and Cecil stared at him doubtfully. 

"What?" Dean asked, "Let's gank this thing." 

"Vaporized, Dean." Sam said finally. "There's no body." 

Dean swore under his breath and put his coat and keys back. "Then it'll be something else he owned."

They sat in silence, thinking. 

"Intern shirt?" Cas asked finally. 

"He was wearing it and had the other two in his bag when he died." Cecil responded. 

"Was there anything else he took everywhere with him but wouldn't have had on him when he died?" Sam asked. 

"uhhh." Cecil rubbed his temples thoughtfully. "I don't know...he was several years ago. His mom still lives in town though." 

"Great." Dean said. "Cas, Sam, let's go." 

The three were out of the apartment before Carlos or Cecil could say a word, leaving the pair sitting next to each other on the couch with Leland's file still open in front of them.


	11. Boy Scouts

Leland's mother's house was a ramshackle place, falling apart at the seams as though someone had stopped caring for it years ago. The three silently approached the house. Sam knocked gently while Dean reached into his coat for his gun. Cas put a hand on his shoulder, and Deans hand retreated from his coat without his gun. 

They waited in silence for sometime before the door creaked open and a grey haired woman with a cane answered the door with a creak. The door creaked to a stop as the chain on the doorway pulled taut, and an elderly woman peered out suspiciously, glancing them over with sharp eyes. 

"You're those strangers in the chevy impala." She said, glancing past them to their car. 

Dean glanced back at his car. "Yes. We're here because we need to speak to you about your son." 

Her lip trembled. "The hauntings at the radio station." 

Sam nodded. 

"It's not him." She said angrily, slamming the door in their faces, 

They turned to each other, ready to find another way to get into the house and question the woman, when the door reopened all the way this time, and the woman gestured to them, leading them silently down the hall to a door labeled "Intern Leland" in a teenage boy's messy handwriting. 

"He was so proud." She whispered, tracing Leland's sign. "So proud. It can't be him."

"All signs point to..." Sam began hesitantly. 

"No." She responded, opening the door and leading them in.

Dean had seen it before. A parent who lost their child would often keep their room suspended in time, making no changes from the way it had been when the child left the room for the last time. The bed was unmade, pillow still dented from the presence of a head. Clothes lay scattered on the floor, gathering dust. A desk was still scattered with homework and intern research, and a radio sat in it's corner, tuned to Cecil's station. His dresser had dusty photographs, awards, and a boy scout manual open to the badge "subversive radio host", which was bookmarked, and annotated with check marks on the first two out of five requirements. Posters sagged on the walls, barely clinging to their sticky tac. The closet door was open to reveal a boy scout uniform, a deep purple vest covered in badges, "Troop 666" emblazoned on the right shoulder of the vest. The room looked like the young intern would be returning any minute from school. 

Leland's mother limped to his desk, leaning heavily on her cane. Her wrinkled fingers picked up and dusted off a picture of two boys in Troop 666 uniforms, a mix of pride and terror on their faces as they held up a certificate declaring them Fear Scouts. One of them was Leland. The other was vaguely familiar to the three of them. 

Sam glanced at the woman as he reached out to take the photograph. She nodded, and he took it, turning to the others. 

"Who is this?" Cas asked, glancing up at her as she leaned against Leland's bed, hands on her cane. 

"Leland' best friend Brad." She said. "He was skilled in black magic and carpentry. They met in boy scouts, they were in every class together...when my Leland became an intern, Brad followed him." 

"And you think it was him?" Dean asked, moving to sit next to her on the bed. The woman's face changed instantly. She hissed, and Dean stepped back. 

She calmed. "Yes." 

Sam glanced at the other two. "Why?" 

"When my Leland died, he swore revenge on Cecil for allowing it. He turned to the black arts, started using his skill in carpentry to make weapons. He became angry, he shut himself away. His parents kicked him out one night, and he came to live here...I could hear him raging at Cecil every single night, he was so angry. Red lights were always floating around the place, like the ones that...well. My sweet Leland never had that sort of anger. The one you're looking for is Brad, I can promise you that." 

Sam was the first to speak when she finished. "Do you have any idea what he might be connected to here, if it is him?" 

She looked off thoughtfully for a moment before getting up and going into the closet, where she reached into a box on the floor. She pulled out a second boy scout vest and brought it over. It was covered in carpentry, survival, and black magic badges, with his night vale boy scout level patches lined up neatly below "Troop 666", ending at Fear scout, and a subversive radio host badge on the opposite shoulder. 

"Brad would be connected to something he made." She said, handing it off to Dean. "But if it's infused with black magic, it'll fight back." 

Dean nodded, then handed the vest back to her, leaving the other two behind while dialing Cecil's number. 

Sam followed him with a quick thank you to Leland's mother. 

"Cecil?...yeah, we were wrong" Dean began. "Dig up Intern Brad's file and tell us what it says."


	12. Burn

Cas stood over the grave as the other four dug, cramped tightly together in the hole. The bottom of Carlos's lab coat was covered in dirt stains, and Cecil's tattoos twitched at the dirt that covered his arms around him with little to no effect on the dirt itself. A hooded figure passed by, turning to stare for a moment before hovering off as the five of them averted their gaze warily.

"clunk"

With a heavy sound, the four diggers struck the casket at the bottom of the hole.

"Everybody out." Dean said impatiently. "Lets gank this thing already."

Everyone exited the hole, aside from Dean, who stayed long enough to rip the casket open before scrambling away from the decaying remains and standing above the hole.

Sam and Dean covered the remains in salt, before Dean held his lighter out to Cecil.

"Want to do the honors?' He asked.

Cecil shook his head fervently. Dean shrugged, lit the lighter, and threw it in.

They stood over the body until the flames died down, burning away the casket and the boy laying inside it. Cecil sniffed as Sam, Dean, and Cas turned to go. Carlos kissed him on the temple, taking his hand and leading him slowly away.

The car ride back to the apartment was silent. Carlos sat crushed in the back middle seat between Sam and Cecil as Dean drove with Cas beside him.

"We've got a long day of traveling tomorrow." Dean said. "Sam, get some sleep, I'm not driving all the way back to the bunker on my own."

Sam muttered something under his breath while trudging to the pull out couch as Cecil and Carlos retired for bed.

Dean cuddled up close to Cas that night, throwing an arm over him as he pressed up against the angel. Cas turned around in his arms, kissing him gently.

"you sure it's over?" Cas asked, staring into Dean's eyes.

Dean grunted. "Call it a gut feeling."

****

"And now, we are pleased to bring you one non-stop hour of commercials for things you don't need but will think you will." Cecil signalled to intern Sandy with a flourish, and he sent the station to the commercial break. He exited the room to greet Carlos with a kiss on the cheek.

"how's the first day back in the studio been? Carlos asked with a grin, handing him his still warm Arby's bag and walking beside him down the hall to the break room.

Cecil gasped in mock offence. "If you'd been listening to the show you'd know, Carlos!"

Carlos giggled as they sat down, Cecil quickly joining him.

"Babe." Carlos muttered through his giggles. "You know I hang on to every word you say whether you're on or off the air."

Cecil practically melted.

"So how's station management doing?" Carlos asked through bites of his sandwich.

Cecil grimaced. "They weren't happy about the files being out of order. We knew they were by year, we just didn't know that those years were from an defunct calendar system."

Carlos winced. "I can imagine."

"I'm just lucky they received a call from City Council mid lecture. You should've seen it! It was the quickest change of mood I've ever seen from them." Cecil shrugged.

Carlos giggled again. "I'm glad they're happy together."

"Yeah..." Cecil smiled. "Oh. Hey, babe, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

He got up and walk out of the room. Carlos calling after him to say hello to the cats for him.

One of the kittens was floating by the door when Cecil entered the bathroom, knocking her through the air.

Cecil scrambled after her, catching her before she collided into the wall opposite and scratching her behind the ears. She purred softly and nuzzled into Cecil's chest, bright purple eyes that her family shared closing in contentment as her ears turned back.

Cecil avoided her poisonous spine spikes carefully, turning his attention to under her chin until he heard a hiss, an released her gently back into the air and turned around to find Khoshek, teeth barred, typically purple eyes glowing bright red.

Khoshekh sprung from his place above the sink and sank his teeth deep into Cecil's forehead. Red light flashed around the room, and Cecil screamed, one long, agonizing scream before he saw Sam, Dean and Cas as they drove away through his third eye, and blacked out.

Sandy was the first to respond to the scream, throwing open the door to find Cecil, head tilted slightly back and teeth barred, standing in the bathroom with the kittens cowering from the ceiling.

"No, MORE!" He snarled, pinning Sandy against the wall opposite and tearing deep into his neck. The last thing Sandy saw were Cecil's eyes, shockingly red against Cecil's pale skin.

Down the hall, Carlos dialed Sam's number with trembling hands, unable to tear his eyes off of what was happening at the end of the hall, though he knew he should.

"Sam?" He asked in a trembling voice as Cecil's possessed body finished off Sandy and turned to the break room. " It's not over."


	13. The Scientist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential trigger warning: abuse
> 
> I've changed the rating on this fic for the depictions of violence in this chapter, just to be safe.

"It's not over"

Dean felt a chill run down his spine at Carlos' words. He had been so sure. The ghost must be tied to something else. 

Sam took the phone from his brother's hands. "We'll be right there."

***

Carlos pulled the blinds in the room down with a snap, ripping the salt off the coutner and nearly spilling it in his haste to block off the door and other entrances to the break room. The ghost possessed Cecil had gone after the receptionist a while ago, but since the desk was out of sight from the break room there was little Carlos could do. He finished off the salt with a circle around himself, barely making a full loop. As an after thought he grabbed the fire extinguisher from the cabinet and returned hurridely to his circle, hoping whatever damage might be done with it would be a small enough amount that Cecil would be okay. 

He stood there for what felt like forever, eyes fixed almost unblinkingly on the door, ready to be attacked at any moment. A roar followed by a screech from the ghost possessing Cecil came from down the hall. Carlos took a few weary steps forward, parting the blinds with the tips of his fingers and peering through. 

Station Management had Cecil pinned up against the wall by his neck, and the ghost struggled uselessly against their many arms and considrable height. Carlos stepped away, panic setting in. This would be a victory, the ghost was pretty powerless in comparison to Station Management at the moment...except Cecil couldn't breathe.

Before he knew what he was doing or even stopping to consider his options in an objective and scientific manner, he had charged out in the hall, extinguisher raised, and brought it down hard on Station management's shoulder. 

They howled and dropped Cecil, who landed on his feet and slashed a hand through the air. Carlos stifled a scream as lacerations appeared instantly across their body. They collapsed against the wall, and Cecil's eyes moved to Carlos. 

Except these weren't Cecil's eyes. Aside from the red of his eyes, these eyes held none of the warmth, admiration, or love Carlos was used to seeing reflected back at him. Instead, they were filled with fury and pure hatred. 

"oh Cecil..." The ghost's voice emanated from his body, cold filling every syllable. "You're going to enjoy seeing this."

Carlos ripped the fire extinguisher off the floor and dove into the nearest room, which happened to be the men's bathroom. The ghost followed, cackling. 

"I'm going to make this slow, just for you, Cecil. Your precious scientist, dying under your own hands. This is so much better than what I planned." 

Carlos drove back and struck Cecil as hard as he dared across the head. The ghost stumbled. 

"Awww. He won't even fight back. I'm telling you boss, he really does love you. Pity he had to end this way. Still, I suppose he had to die at some point...outsiders always do." 

He grabbed Carlos by the jaw and lifted him up, turning his face to examine it. "Where to start, Boss? I know you love his hair, but I think I'll leave that so you can still recognize your darling scientist when I'm done and I give you your body back." 

He pulled back, keeping Carlos pinned, and punched him square in the face. With a sickening crunch and a burst of pain, Carlos felt his nose break. Blood poured down his face and got into his mouth. He fixed the ghost with a defiant glare. 

"hmm...resilient." He shrugged, drawing back another hand and slashing it through the air. With another burst of pain, Carlos felt his skin open across his chest, and blood stained his lab coat. The ghost (not Cecil. Carlos refused to think that way) tightened his hand around Carlos's throat, digging his fingernails into Carlos' throat and pulling him forward to slam him back against the wall. Carlos whimpered in pain and averted his gaze to the cats hovering by the ceiling. 

"Look at me." The ghost demanded, grip tightening once more and slamming him against the wall hard. "Look at me, Scientist!" 

Carlos kept his eyes fixed to the ceiling. The ghost howled angrily and formed more lacerations across his chest. He moved his hand to Carlos' face, placing a fingernail against his cheek and digging in, ripping into the skin and moving slowly across his face. 

The abuse from the ghost continued, lacerations made and his head slammed against the wall over and over. Carlos could feel his vision fading and his consciousness slipping away when Dean's voice came from the door. 

"Hey!" 

***

Carlos was in bad shape in when they arrived, stepping over Station Management's still body to the bathroom, where Carlos was being beaten to a pulp. 

Sam, Dean and Cas stood at the ready outside the door, guns drawn in case the ghost made things too difficult. Cas held an iron fire poker. 

"Go." Sam whispered, and Dean wrenched the door open, the brother's immediately training their guns on the ghost. 

He turned to face them, pulling Carlos up and fixing his head in position, ready to crack his neck

"Oh, Carlos, look. The ghost busters are here to save you." 

Carlos whimpered. 

"Back off." The ghost snarled to team free will. "Or this one gets it and I leave Cecil alive barely long enough to mourn. 

Everyone froze. Dean and Sam had their eyes and guns fixed on Cecil and Carlos, but Cas' eyes had moved to the ceiling, where one of the kittens had meowed loudly and drifted down to a floating litter box with BRAD carved in all caps on the side. 

It took a split second for Cas to decide. With a snap of his fingers, the box was aflame, the kitten retreating to the ceiling with a startled movement, and Carlos and Cecil were on the floor while the spirit burned away above them. 

Dean and Sam dove into the room to remove the couple from under the fire, and the family of cats retreated to the farthest corner of the bathroom as the ghost let out a terrible howl and dove at the five of them in one last attempt at vengance, before burning away. 

Silence filled the space until Cecil let out a small whimper and moved to hold Carlos. The scientist winced as Cecil craddled his head in his hands, tears streaming down his face. 

"Oh, Carlos. Ohhh Carlos, love. I'm so sorry...I never should have..." Cecil's words were lost to sobs as Carlos weakly reached up to wipe away a tear. 

"Not your fault." He muttered weakly. "I love you"

Cecil broke into a fresh wave of sobs.


	14. Congratulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well. This is the last Chapter. The fic is marked as having fifteen chapters because the last one will be a thank - you sort of thing.

Dean, Cas, and Sam stuck around for a week to help Cecil and Carlos recover. Carlos would have a few scars, but his nose had been set back into place and all of his wounds were healing fast. On multiple occaisions, Cecil woke up screaming, as he likely would for months to come, but with Carlos by his side, Dean knew he'd be okay. 

The spirit was definietly gone. Sam and Dean had hovered around the station all week in alternating shifts, with no paranormal activity detected by either one. Still, they put up sigils in invisible paint, just to be safe. Not all danger could be kept out of Night Vale, but anyone who could be kept safe was a victory in their book. 

Meanwhile, Carlos had been thinking, as a scientist does. On the Saturday before the Winchesters left, he asked them for their help one last time. 

"Cecil." Carlos said, pulling his boyfriend out of the state of distraction he was often in these days."Let's go out tonight." 

Cecil brightened slightly, though the guilty look didn't leave his eyes. "Don't you have work at the lab?"

Carlos shrugged. "It can wait." 

He had a plan for that night, one that required an element of surprise, so depsite Cecil's pleading, Carlos only told him to wear what he usually would on a date. Cecil grumbled at this and complained that this told him absolutely nothing about what they were doing. 

The night came, and Carlos drove them to the park they had been to on their first date. The fancy restaurant had closed due to a puppy infestation, but he had put together a picnic for the pair of them, and brought along candles to repel the hooded figures. 

They laughed and talked as they ate. "Remember when I wanted to examine the trees on our first date?" 

Cecil nodded with a laugh. "I was just thrilled to be involved in science in action." 

Carlos giggled too. "Right...well about that. It was bull. I was nervous around you...and erm...I knew you liked my sciency side...so..." 

Cecil leaned back in mock offense. "Carlos! How dare you!" 

Carlos giggled, before standing and holding out a hand to Cecil. He stared at it.

"This isn't the only place we're going." Carlos explained. 

Cecil's eyes lit up, and he took Carlos' hand to help him to his feet. 

Carlos opened the door for Cecil, and the pair drove across town to his lab, where they came to a stop in front. 

Cecil stared out the window, confused. "Did you forget something?" 

Carlos shrugged cheerily. "Nope. just wanted to do this." 

He leaned forward and kissed Cecil gently, pulling away and leaving the radio host open mouthed. 

"the same spot as our first kiss." 

Carlos grinned "Yup. put these on. The next location is a suprise." He offered Cecil a bandana to tie around his eyes and forehead tattoo.

Carlos nodded, and they drove off again, finally pulling to a stop outside the radio station. Carlos helped Cecil out, and pulled him by the hands to the front of the car, where he pushed Cecil back against it and knelt down. 

Carlos took a deep breath. "Cecil, you can lift up your blindfold."

Cecil did, pulling it over his eyes before letting out a gasp of joy. His hands moved to cover his mouth as tears filled his eyes. 

"Cecil." Carlos began. "I have loved you almost as long as I have been in this town. Truthfully, if it weren't for you a would have left a long time ago. You make everything worth it, and no matter what happens, you mean the world to me. I've nearly lost you far too many times, and I need to make sure that never happens again. I love you. I've never loved anyone more or been more sure of anything in my life. So tonight, I wanted to ask...Will you marry me?"

Cecil nodded tearfully. "Oh...Oh Carlos. Yes, That would be..."

Carlos grinned. "Neat?" 

Cecil sobbed even harded and nodded, allowing Carlos to slip the engagement ring on his finger before moving to hug his now-fiance tightly. 

"I love you, I love you so much...oh Carlos!"

They held each other there for a long time, eventually turning to the lights over the Arby's, and staying there for a long time, Cecil's head on Carlos' shoulder and Carlos' hand on Cecil's knee. When they returned to the apartment hours later, it was to unsurprised congratulations from the Winchesters. 

Months later, they said their vows, with Sam, Dean, and Cas seated in the church. They weren't safe. In Night Vale, they never would be. But they had each other, and in the end, that's all that really mattered.


End file.
